Adjustable headrest for barber chairs



Jan. 25, 1966 c. REDFIELD DJUSTABLE HEADREST FOR BARBER CHAIRS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4, 1963 R m w m CHARLEs L. Rznnzw I 3 BY 1966'c. L. REDFIELD 3 ,308

ADJUSTABLE HEADREST FOR BARBER CHAIRS Filed Dec. 4, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR. CHARLES L. REDFIELD A T ORNE YS United States Patent M3,231,308 ADJUSTABLE HEADREST FOR BARBER CHAIRS Charles L. Redfield,Downers Grove, Ill., assignor to Emil J. Paider Company, Chicago, 11].,a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 327,921 11Claims. (Cl. 297-410) The present invention relates to improvements inheadrests and particularly to an improved chair headrest assembly of thetype used in barber chairs.

In chair headrest assemblies of the type used in barber chairs a paddedheadrest is supported on the chair back for providing a support for thechair occupant especially when the chair is in the reclining position.In order to provide a comfortable and relaxing support for the occupant,particularly in the neck region and in the lower region of the back ofthe head,'the headrest should be adjustable so that optimum positioningcan be provided over a wide range of sizes of occupants.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved chair headrest capable of being adjustably positioned toaccommodate a wide range of sizes of chair occupants.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chair headrestassembly wherein the headrest is pivotally mounted on a support memberwhich is, in turn, pivotally and extensively mounted on the chair backfor providing vertical, horizontal and angular positioning of theheadrest relative to the chair back.

Another object of the present invention involves the provision of asingle adjustable locking device for locking the headrest in suitablepositions both vertically and horizontally relative to the chair back.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a headrestattachment assembly for attaching the headrest to the back of the chairin which the attachment assembly provides for both vertical andhorizontal adjustable positioning of the headrest relative to the chair,is easily and quickly adjusted, requires only one adjustment mechanism,is simple in design and construction, can be easily installed on thechair back and requires little or no maintenance.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the presentinvention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon makingreference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanyingsheets of drawings, in which a preferred structural embodimentincorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by Way ofillustrative example.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a headrest assembly constructedin accordance with the principles of the present invention and mountedon the back of a chair with a portion of an end wall of the headrest cutaway for purposes of clarity;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded isometric view of portions of the assembly ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of an attachment assembly utilized inattaching the headrest assembly to the chair back; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the assembly of FIG- URE 3 in itsattached position on the chair back.

As shown on the drawings:

Referring to FIGURE 1, a headrest assembly constructed in accordancewith the principles of the present invention is indicated generally atattached to a top surface 11 of a back 12 of a chair such as a barberchair, a dentist chair, or the like. The headrest assembly 10 isparticularly characterized as comprising a headrest 13 pivotally mountedat one end of a headrest slat or support member 14- which is pivotallyand extensibly mounted on a slat or support member attachment assemblyindicated generally at 1 6, secured to the top surface 11 of the chairback 12 by means of a clamp assembly as at 17. In operation, theheadrest 13 is adjustably positioned by means hereinafter described suchthat a padded portion 18 of the headrest 13 engages the neck region andthe lower region of the back of the head of the chair occupant forproviding comfort and support to the occupant. As will become apparenthereinafter, the present invention provides for optimum positioning oftheheadrest 13 and the padded portion 18 thereof to accommodate" a widerange of occupant sizes particularly with respect to the length of thetorso or trunk portion of the occupant.

The attachment assembly 16 comprises generally a headrest clamp 19mounted for pivotal movement on the clamp assembly 17 and which slidablycarries along one surface thereof the slat or support member 14. Aheadrest key or bracket 26) coacts with a key cover 21 and a headrestknob assembly 22 for maintaining the support member 14 and the headrestclamp 19 in connected and adjustably movable assembly.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the slat or support member 14- on whichthe headrest 13 is pivotally mounted comprises an elongated generallyrectangularly shaped straight body member 23 having an axially extendinginterstice or groove 25 formed therein and defined by interfacing innerwalls 24 and 26 and separating a pair of bifurcate linger members 27 and28.

At one end of the support member 14 an enlarged tu bularly shapedelongated slat head 29 is fixedly secured thereto by any suitable means,for example, by means of a weld or the like and extends essentiallytransversely to the longitudinal axis of the support member 14.

' An axially extending cylindrical shaped aperture 30 is formedcentrally in the slat head 29 for rotatably journalling a bolt member31. The bolt 31, in its assembled position, also extends throughapertures 32 and 33 formed respectively in end portions 34 and 36 of apair of trunnions 37 and 38 In assembled position, the end portions 34and 36 of the trunnions 37 and 38 overlie opposite ends of the slat head29 such that apertures 32 and 33 thereof are in registry with aperture30. In addition, the end portions 34 and 36 are separated respectivelyfrom the slat head 29 by means of washer members 39 and 40. Washers 41and 42 are mounted at opposite ends of the bolt 31 for separatingrespective. ly the end portion 34 from a head 43 of the bolt and forseparating end portion 36 from a nut 44 which is threaded on the bolt'31 for maintaining the slat head, washer members 39 and 4t trunnions 37and 33 and washers 41 and 42 in connected assembly.

The trunnions 37 and 38 are fixedly connected to a headrest crossbar 46by means of a plurality of suitable fastening means, for example,threaded screws and lock washers 4'7 and 48 respectively. As best seenin FIG- URE 1, cross bar 46 is in turn fixedly secured to the headrest13 by suitable means such as a plurality of bolts 47.

Referring to FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, the clamp assembly 17 comprises a pairof cl mp s pp rts 48 and 9 d p to be mounted in aligned'spaced relationon the top surface 11 of the chair back 12 by suitable fastening means,such as a plurality of screws (not shown). extending through apertures5d and 51. A cylindrically shaped clamp shaft 52 having reduced diameterstub portions 53 and 54 at opposite ends thereof is mounted in clampsupports 48 and 49. The shaft 52 is 'nonrotatably fixedly secured toclamp supports 48 and 4-9 by means of a pair of lock pins (not shown)inserted into aligned apertures formed respectively in the clamp supPatented an- .54

3 ports 48 and 49 and the stub portions 53 and 54 as indicated atreference numerals 56 and 57.

One aspect of the present invention resides in the provision andnecessity of only a single locking mechanism for adjustably positioningboth pivota'lly and extensibly the support member 14, and to this endthe headrest clamp 19 is particularly characterized as comprising anaxially elongated generally U-shaped member having a closed end or bightportion 58 and an open end portion as at 59. The bight portion 58 iscylindrically apertured complementarily to the shaft 52 as at 60. Inaddition, the clamp 19 is split axially by means of an interstice orgroove 61 defined by a pair of parallel spaced interfacing innersurfaces 62 and 63 to form a pair of bifurcate finger members as at 64and 66 extending radially outwardly from the aperture 60. It will beappreciated that the groove 61 is in open communication with theaperture 60 to provide for a degree of resiliency of the finger memberssuch that a force acting on the finger members to press such memberstogether will act to reduce the width of the groove 61 and likewise thediameter of the aperture 60, thereby providing a pressed stateconfiguration of the clamp 19. A release of such force will cause thefinger members 64 and 66 to resiliently separate to their nonpressed orfree state configuration.

Aperture 60 is dimensioned such that when the clamp 19 is on its freestate configuration, that is, when there is no force being applied tofinger members 64 and 66 to urge them together, the clamp 19 can bepivoted or rotated about the shaft 52. However, when sufficient force isexerted on the finger members the diameter of aperture 60 will bereduced sufliciently such that the bight portion 58 of the clamp 19 willsnuggly engage the shaft 52 to prevent rotation of the clamp 19 thereon.

It will be noted in FIGURE 3 the clamp 19 is also radially split by apair of transversely extending interfacing walls 67 and 68 to form apair of projections 69 and 70 in the open end 59 thereof. Situatedbetween walls 67 and 68 and extending substantially perpendicu larly tofinger members 64 and 66 the headrest key or bracket comprises, as canbest be seen in FIGURE 2, a generally rectangularly shaped body portion71 having an extension portion 72 projecting from one end thereof todefine a pair of shoulder surfaces as at 73 and '74. Parallel side walls76 and 77 of the extension 72 are spaced to project into and be receivedby the groove defined by inner walls 24 and 26 of the support member 14.In its assembled position, the key 20 is moved upwardly as viewed inFIGURE 2 such that shoulder surfaces 73 and 74 abuttingly engage abottom surface 78 of the support member 23 adjacent the inner walls 24and 26 thereof, and the side walls 76 and 77 are dimensioned such that atop surface 79 of the key 20 is situated coplanar with a top surface 79of the support member 14.

The key cover 21 has a Width substantially equal to the width of thebody portions 71 of the key 20 and is dimensioned to straddle the grooveof the support member 14 similarly to the shoulder surfaces 73 and 74 ofthe key 20. In its assembled position, the key cover 21 and the key 20are maintained in connected but slidable assembly on the support member14 by suitable fastening means such as a threaded screw 80 adapted toextend through an aperture 81 formed in the key cover 21 through thegroove 25 and into a complementarily threaded aperture 82 formed in thetop surface 79 of thekey 20. The screw 80 is not tightened completelyinto the aperture 82 but instead is backed off silghtly to permit thekey 20 and the key cover 21 to slide axially along the groove 25 of thesupport member 14.

7 Referring again to FIGURE 1, it will be noted the finger members 64and 66 comprise straight flat outlindrically shaped aperture 86extending substantially/ transversely to the support member 14 andcomprises an enlarged portion 87 adapted to slid-ingly receive acomplementarily shaped knob stud 88 axially centrally apertured as at 89and radially apertured as at 90, 90. The knob 22 comprises an elongatedthreaded stud 91 adapted to extend, in its assembled position, throughan aperture 92 formed in the key cover 21, through the groove 25 of thesupport member 14 and into the aperture 86 of the key 20 to be receivedin a complementarily threaded portion 93 of the aperture 89 of the knobstud 88. An elongated cylindrically shaped roll pin 94 extends, in itsassembled position, through the radially aligned apertures of the knobstud 88;

Referring particularly to FIGURE 3, it will be noted that the outer orbottom surface 84 of the clamp 19 is grooved as at 96 on a line parallelto the axis of the shaft 52 for receiving end portions 97 and 98 of theroll pin 94.

It will be appreciated that when the attachment as'-' sembly 16 isassembled, the threaded stud 91 of the knob 22 is adjusted such that theknob stud 88, or more particularly the apertures 90, 90 thereof, aresituated out-.

wardly of or below the outer surface 84 of the finger member 66 of theclamp 19. The roll pin 94 is then inserted in the groove 96 throughapertures 90, 90 and then the stud 91 of the knob 22 is threaded intothe knob stud 88, which is held nonrotatable by means of the roll pin94, such that the roll pin is forced into tight engagement with thefinger member 66, thereby tending to squeeze the finger members togetherand also to urge the outer surface 83 of the finger member 64 into tightengagement with the lower surface 78 of the support member 14. It willbe appreciated that-the force exerted by the roll pin 94, as it squeezesthe finger members together, will tend to reduce the diameter ofaperture 60 of the clamp 19 to snugly engage the shaft 52 and will causethe clamp 19 to 'be nonrotatable on the shaft 52, and also forces theengaging surfaces of the clamp 19 and the support member 14 into tightpressing relation, resulting in relatively fixed assembly of the clampassembly 17, the clamp 19, the support member 14 and the key 20.

In operation, the knob 22 can be loosened sutficiently to provide bothpivotal and extensible movement of the support member 14 for positioningthe padded portion 18 5f the headrest 13 properly to accommodate theoccupant of the chair. After the headrest 13 has been properlypositioned, tightening of the knob 22 precludes both pivotal andextensible movement of the support member 14, and it will be appreciatedthat the headrest 13 may continue to pivot about the head 29 of thesupport member 14 to provide for minor movement of the occupant of thechair.

Accordingly, there has been provided a headrest assemble for a chairadapted to be adjustably positionable to accommodate and comfortablysupport a wide variety of chair occupants. In addition, locking of thehorizontal, vertical and angular position of the headrest assemblyrelative to the chair is accomplished by actuating merely a singlelocking device. The headrest assembly of the present invention is simplein design, inexpensive in manufacture and assembly and reliable inoperation.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by' those versed in theart, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope ofthe patent warranted hereon all such modifications asreasonably comewithin the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A headrest assembly for a chair comprising,

a headrest,

an elongated support member,

means connecting one portion of said support member to said headrest forproviding pivotal movement therebetween, and

a support member attachment assembly for attaching another portion ofsaid support member to the chair including means providing pivotalmovement of said support member relative to said chair, and

means for selectively positioning said support member in both linear,horizontal and vertical directions relative to said chair, said lastnamed means also locking said support member to prevent movement thereofrelative to said chair.

2. A headrest assembly for the back of a chair comprising,

a headrest, and

mounting means connected to said headrest and connectable with saidchair for mounting said headrest on the back of the chair, said mountingmeans com- P means for providing pivotal movement of said headrestrelative to the chair back for angularly positioning said headrestrelative to the back, and means for adjustably spacing said headrest inboth a horizontal and a vertical direction relative to said chair backand at any predetermined angular position of said headrest.

3. A headrest assembly for the back of a chair comprising,

a headrest support member,

a headrest connected to one portion of said support member, and

mounting means connected to said support member and connectable with thechair back for mounting said support member on the chair back, saidmounting means comprising,

means for providing pivotal movement of said support member relative tothe chair back for angularly positioning said support member relative tothe chair back, and

means for adjustably spacing said one portion of said support memberfrom the chair back in both a horizontal and a vertical direction and atany predetermined angular position of said support member,

said last named means also adapted to selectively lock said one portionof said support member immovable in angular and spatial posti-onrelative to said chair back.

4. A headrest assembly for mounting on the back of a chair comprising,

a headrest clamp,

a headrest support member slidably carried on said clamp,

a headrest mounted on said support member,

a pivotal mounting member connectable to the back of said chair andpivotally mounting said clamp for pivotal movement about an axisextending parallel to the front and rear surfaces of the chair back, and

means for tightly pressing said clamp against said support member torender said support member immovable relative to said clamp to positionsaid headrest.

5. A headrest assembly for mounting on the back of a chair comprising,

a headrest clamp,

a headrest support member slidably carried on said clamp,

a headrest mounted on said support member,

a pivotal mounting member connectable to the back of said chair andpivotally mounting said clamp for 6 pivotal movement about an axisextending parallel to the front and rear surfaces of the chair back, andmeans for tightly pressing said clamp against said mounting member torender said mounting member immovble relative to said clamp to positionsaid headrest.

6. A headrest assembly for mounting on the back of a chair comprising,

a headrest clamp,

a headrest support member slidably carried on said clamp,

a headrest mounted on said support member,

a pivotal mounting member connectable to the back of said chair andpivotally mounting said clamp for pivotal movement about an axisextending parallel to the front and rear surfaces of the chair back, and

means for tightly pressing said clamp against said support member andsaid mounting member to render said members immovable relative to saidclamp to position said headrest.

7. A headrest assembly for mounting on the back of a chair comprising,

a clamp assembly adapted to be connected to the back of the chair andhaving a cylindrical clamp shaft immovably mounted thereon and extendingparallel to the front and rear surfaces of the chair back,

an axially split headrest clamp pivotally mounted on said shaft,

a support member carried on said clamp,

a headrest mounted on said support member, and

means for tightly squeezing said clamp on said shaft to render saidclamp immovable relative to said clamp assembly for positioning saidheadrest.

8. A headrest assembly for mounting on the back of a chair comprising,

a clamp assembly adapted to be connected to the back of the chair andhaving a cylindrical clamp shaft immovablymounted thereon and extendingparallel to the front and rear surfaces of the chair back, a headrestclamp mounted for pivotal movement on said shaft,

a support member slidably carried for translator-y movement on saidclamp in a plane transverse to the front and rear surfaces of the chairback,

a headrest mounted on one portion of said support member and means fortightly squeezing and pressing said clamp against said shaft and saidsupport member to render said clamp and said support member immovablerelative to said clamp assembly for positioning said headrest.

9. A headrest assembly for a chair comprising,

a clamp assembly adapted to be mounted on a back of a chair and having ahorizontal cylindrical shaft immovably mounted thereon,

a general U-shaped headrest clamp having a closed end portion and a pairof fingers extending from said closed end portion to an open endportion, said shaft extending loosely through the closed end portion ofsaid clamp to provide pivotal movement of said clamp about said shaft,

a headrest support member slidably carried on one of said fingers ofsaid clamp,

a headrest mounted on said support member, and

bracket means overlying the fingers of said clamp and said supportmember and being adjustably movable relative to said clamp and saidsupport member to selectively squeeze the fingers around said shaft andsaid shaft support member against said one of said fingers to rendersaid clamp assembly, said clamp and said support member relativelyimmovable to position said headrest.

10. A headrest assembly for a chair comprising,

a clamp assembly adapted to be mounted on a back of a horizontalcylindrical clamp the chair and having a cylindrical shaft immovablymounted thereon,

generally U-shaped clamp having a closed end portion and an open endportion comprising a pair of resiliently movable spaced fingers having afree state configuration and a pressed state configuration, said shaftextending between said fingers near said closed end of said clamp andbeing dimensioned to fit loosely between said fingers when the fingersare in a free state configuration and to fit tightly and immovablybetween said fingers when said fingers are pressed together in a pressedstate configuration, headrest support member having one portion slidablyengageable with one finger of said clamp, headrest mounted on a secondportion of said support member,

bracket having one member overlying the other finger of said clamp and asecond member overlying, said one portion of said support member, saidbracket members being movable toward one another, and means forinterconnecting said bracket members for drawing said members tightlytogether to press said fingers into said pressed state configuration torender said clamp immovable relative to said shaft and to press said oneportion of said support member into tight engagement with said onefinger of said clamp to render said support member immovable relative tosaid clamp to immovably position said second portion of said supportmember.

11. A headrest assembly for a chair comprising, a pair of clamp supportmembers for mounting on a back of the chair,

shaft immovably mounted on said clamp support members,

a generally U-shaped clamp having a closed bight portion and an open endbifurcate portion comprising a pair of spaced resilient fingers, saidfingers being radially aligned relative to said shaft and havinginterfacing inner surfaces and outer surfaces opposite said innersurfaces, said shaft extending between said fingers near said bightportion of said clamp and being dimensioned to fit loosely between saidfingers when the fingers are in a free state configuration and to fittightly and immovably between said fingers when said fingers are pressedtogether in a pressed state configuration,

an elongated headrest support member slidably engageable with an outersurface of one of said fingers,

a bracket having one member overlying said support member opposite saidone finger and a second member fixedly connected to said one member andhaving a major axis extending transversely to said shaft adjacent saidfingers, means defining an aperture extending through said secondmembers substantially parallel to said major axis,

a tubular knob stud having one end thereof slidably carried in saidaperture and having at opposite end thereof extending outwardly of saidaperture to overlie the outer surface of the other of said fingers, saidstud having a threaded aperture formed therein extending from said oneend thereof, and

a knob assembly having a knob overlying said one member of said bracketand a threaded bolt extending from said knob into the complementarilythreaded aperture of said stud, whereby turning said knob assembly tothread the bolt thereof into said aperture of said stud will press saidfingers together in a pressed state configuration to render said clampimmovable relative to said shaft and also will draw said headrestsupport member into tight engagement with said one finger to render saidsupport member immovable relative to said clamp for selectivelypositioning said second portion of said support member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 171,539 12/1875Starr 297-407 236,212 1/ 1881 Cartwright 297402 535,783 3/1895 Archer297408 1,930,867 10/1933 West 297403 2,666,476 1/ 1954 Lycan 297-404FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

1. A HEADREST ASSEMBLY FOR A CHAIR COMPRISING, A HEADREST, AN ELONGATEDSUPPORT MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTING ONE PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER TOSAID HEADREST FOR PROVIDING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, AND A SUPPORTMEMBER ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLY FOR ATTACHING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID SUPPORTMEMBER TO THE CHAIR INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAIDSUPPORT MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID CHAIR, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELYPOSITIONING SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IN BOTH LINEAR, HORIZONTAL AND VERTICALDIRECTIONS RELATIVE TO SAID CHAIR, SAID LAST NAMED MEANS ALSO LOCKINGSAID SUPPORT MEMBER TO PREVENT MOVEMENT THEREOF RELATIVE TO SAID CHAIR.